Thousands of Virginia kids may lose care with Head Start cuts
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Thousands of Virginia children could lose funding for Head Start, the decades-old federal program that provides child care, nutrition assistance and other services to the nation's poorest families.
Driving the news: The Trump administration called for the program's elimination in a draft budget plan first obtained last week by the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Shuttering the program would be "catastrophic," says Casey Peeks, senior director of early childhood policy at the liberal Center for American Progress, Axios' Emily Peck reports.
- More than 790,000 children 5 and under rely on Head Start for learning, meals and health care services, per a CAP report released last week.
- Just over 12,000 of those are in Virginia.
The big picture: There will be ripple effects for other families if child care providers lose access to this funding — straining a nationwide system already struggling with waitlists and high costs.
Zoom in: 47% of Virginians lived in "child care deserts" as of 2019, CAP found.
- "[Head Start cuts] will impact children, families, and communities across the country, particularly the rural communities where these programs represent a large share of the child care options," read a February letter signed byVirginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner when reports of cuts first circulated.
Zoom out: 46% of Head Start funding goes to rural areas, often in places without any other child care options, according to federal data from the 2023-2024 school year CAP analyzed.
- Only 22% is for those in urban areas.
By the numbers: Virginia's 9th Congressional District, which encompasses most of southwest Virginia, had the most Head Start slots at 2,000, with another 1,600 in the 7th (which includes Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg and some of Prince William County), per CAP's analysis.
Where it stands: This month, several regional Head Start offices were shuttered as part of broader cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which operates the program, though none in Virginia.
- Many Head Start programs have struggled to stay afloat since a White House funding freeze earlier this year.
- "There's just this cloud of uncertainty right now," says Tommy Sheridan, deputy director at National Head Start Association, a nonprofit that represents children, families and programs.
For the record: The White House didn't respond to Axios' questions about possible further cuts to Head Start.
Between the lines: Eliminating Head Start is one of Project 2025's goals; the conservative group says the program has little value, claiming fraud and abuse are big issues.
The other side: Research over the years has found that Head Start improves educational outcomes, reduces teen pregnancy and "criminal engagement," and even increases wages into adulthood.
Reality check: Long-time Head Start employees say they've often worried over cuts in the past, but typically funding has garnered bipartisan support.
- The program has received increases in 12 out of the past 15 years, including during the first Trump term.